Chapter 87 Liu Heng's Visit

Meng Liang's memorial service was scheduled for the third day after his death. In accordance with his will, the funeral was to be kept simple. Given the close relationship between Xinghuo Base and Heping Base, Jiang Rong and her group attended the memorial service as representatives.

Looking at Meng Liang's withered and emaciated body lying in the crystal coffin, Jiang Rong felt an indescribable emotion. She remembered someone saying that everyone's body is a vessel for their soul, and Meng Liang's soul had already left his body. He was free, finally no longer bound by the shackles of his former body.

After the memorial service, Jiang Rong and the others waited in the corridor outside the funeral home. Looking at the smoke rising from the crematorium, Jiang Rong couldn't help but sigh.

I remember the last time he came to the funeral home, he carried Xiao Heng on his back and held his parents' ashes in his arms. He didn't even know how he got out. Every time he came to the funeral home, he was in a bad mood.

Guan Shao asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Rong forced a smile: "I just feel that parting is quite sad." The parting between life and death is the most helpless, yet everyone will have such a day.

Guan Shao always understood Jiang Rong's meaning. He gently straightened Jiang Rong's tie and said slowly, "Yes, there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is live each day to the fullest, and when it's time to leave, we can accept it with equanimity."

A man's sobbing voice came from the bushes behind them. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw Zhou Xing squatting behind the bushes, tears and snot streaming down his face. Hearing the noise behind him, Zhou Xing wiped away his tears and said, "I'm sorry, Captain Jiang and Captain Guan, I lost control. You don't need to mind me, I'll be fine after crying for a while."

The person most heartbroken by Meng Liang's passing was not Liu Heng, but Zhou Xing. At the funeral, Zhou Xing wept uncontrollably, unable to even stand.

Jiang Rong took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Zhou Xing: "Captain Zhou, please accept my condolences."

Zhou Xing's eyes were red and swollen. He took a tissue and blew his nose loudly, his voice hoarse: "President Meng suffered so much. I know that his passing is a relief for him. But my heart aches. Our President Meng was worked to death, literally worked to death. His special ability completely wore him down. If it weren't for that damned ability, he could still be alive..."

Meng Liang had shown Zhou Xing great kindness and support. If it weren't for Meng Liang, Zhou Xing would just be an ordinary fire-type ability user in the Peace Base, and he would never have the good life he has today.

Hearing Zhou Xing's sobs, Jiang Rong could only offer futile words of comfort: "Captain Zhou, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences."

Zhou Xing waved his hand and choked up, saying, "It's nothing, I'll just cry for a little while, I'll be fine soon. Please forgive my embarrassment."

Guan Shao said in a deep voice, "Team Leader Zhou is a true man. If General Meng knew this in the afterlife, he would surely want you to be well." Seeing Zhou Xing's attitude, Guan Shao finally understood why he had been given such an important position by Meng Liang. There aren't many people with a conscience these days, but unfortunately, Zhou Xing was too straightforward, which is why Meng Liang didn't choose him as the next leader of the base.

In contrast, Liu Heng's approach was much more rational. He handled the funeral as Meng Liang's successor, and from any perspective, he was a perfect successor.

Just as he was thinking of Liu Heng, Liu Heng appeared. Liu Heng and his subordinates strode in from one side of the corridor. When he saw Jiang Rong and Guan Shao, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Captain Jiang and Captain Guan, we haven't been able to entertain you properly. Please forgive us."

Jiang Rong said understandingly, "President Liu, there's no need to be so formal."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Heng sighed and said, "When President Meng was alive, he always told me that he wanted to visit the Xinghuo Base, to see our brother bases, and to walk in the fields and breathe some fresh air. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and President Meng passed away too suddenly."

Jiang Rong sighed, "Yes. But the friendship between our two bases will not change because of President Meng's departure. Xinghuo Base always welcomes the brothers from Heping Base. I wonder when President Liu will have time to visit our base?"

As the successor to the Peace Base, Liu Heng will need to establish connections with several surrounding bases after taking office. The Spark Base is the closest to the Peace Base, so if Liu Heng were to set off, his first stop would undoubtedly be the Spark Base.

After Meng Liang's death, Jiang Rong felt much more at ease. He didn't want to break ties with the Peace Base, and the Peace Base didn't want to lose Xinghuo as a logistics base.

After Jiang Rong made her stance clear, Liu Heng smiled broadly: "After President Meng's funeral, President Jiang, you can't find me troublesome."

Jiang Rong smiled and extended her hand: "President Liu's presence is an honor to Xinghuo Base."

*

After Meng Liang's ashes were interred in the cemetery, the funeral was considered over, and Jiang Rong and the others could return to their normal lives. Just back at the base, Jiang Rong received a call from Yuan Qingquan: "Team Leader Jiang, could you come to my house?"

Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow, a bad feeling rising in her heart: "Teacher Yuan, did Jiang Yuan do something bad?"

Yuan Qingquan hesitated, "Um... Jiang Yuan beat up a classmate. She beat her quite badly. Could you come over?"

Jiang Rong sighed helplessly after putting down his phone: "Yuanyuan looks so well-behaved, how come she's so violent?" If he remembered correctly, all of Jiang Yuan's classmates were older than her, so how could she still win?

Guan Shao said unhurriedly, "If she were any more gentle, she wouldn't have survived." Jiang Rong rubbed her temples and said, "Yes, we can only correct her slowly."

Upon arriving at Yuan Qingquan's house, Jiang Yuan was huddled in a corner, clutching carrots in her arms. Anyone who tried to approach her was met with a carrot. Seeing Jiang Rong, Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up, and she skipped towards him, still clutching the carrots: "Daddy!"

Jiang Rong covered his face in pain; he never imagined that a carrot would one day become a weapon. Jiang Yuan used a foot-long carrot to beat up her classmate.

The beaten child, bruised and swollen, cried loudly, while the other parents, out of respect for Jiang Rong's status, dared not speak out. Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Jiang Rong had apologized for his child, and he soon gained the other parents' forgiveness.

On the way home, Jiang Rong held Jiang Yuan's hand: "Yuanyuan, can you tell Daddy why you hit your classmate?" Yuan Qingquan had just tried to find out why Jiang Yuan hit him, but the little girl hadn't said a word. Now that it was just the two of them, Jiang Rong felt he should be able to get the reason out of her.

Sure enough, Jiang Yuan lowered her head and whispered, "They're talking badly about my older brother."

Jiang Rong was taken aback: "Big brother? Are you talking about Xiao Heng? Your classmate said bad things about Xiao Heng?" This confused Jiang Rong. Xiao Heng and Jiang Yuan's classmates had never met, so why would they say bad things about Xiao Heng?

Jiang Yuan puffed out her cheeks and said angrily, "They say the little star is short."

Jiang Rong: ...

"Little Star is short?" Why didn't he understand?

Jiang Yuan held up the carrot in her hand and said earnestly, "Teacher Yuan taught me about size and length today. Dad, look, the carrot in my hand is the longest and biggest. I didn't choose a short carrot."

To help the children remember the words they were learning that day, Yuan Qingquan specially pulled up a few radishes from the field for teaching. Jiang Yuan immediately picked the biggest radish. The children all know that the bigger and thicker the radish, the better; thin and short radishes aren't good.

Jiang Rong suddenly realized that in Yuan Yuan's mind, "short" and "small" were negative words. Yuan Yuan's classmate had inadvertently mentioned that Xiao Heng's show was short, and Yuan Yuan felt that they were talking badly about the older boy.

Well, the child's intentions were good, but her comprehension was a bit lacking. Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated. "Yuanyuan, length is just an adjective; it doesn't inherently imply good or bad."

Jiang Yuan looked up in confusion: "Huh?" What's an adjective?

Jiang Rong held his daughter's little hand and explained all the way home. When they were almost home, Jiang Yuan finally understood: "Daddy, did I hit the wrong person?"

Jiang Rong patted Jiang Yuan's head: "Hitting someone is wrong in the first place, let alone accusing your classmates. Remember to apologize to your classmates when you go to school tomorrow."

Jiang Yuan lowered her head and thought for a while before nodding: "Mm."

As they spoke, Jiang Rong had already arrived at Chu Qiang's house. Seeing Jiang Rong, the two children rushed out of the yard, calling out, "Daddy, Daddy!"

Seeing Jiang Rong holding Jiang Yuan's hand, Jiang Xiaoheng hesitated: "Dad..."

For some reason, Xiao Heng felt a little unhappy. His father was usually so busy that he rarely picked him up from school, but today he picked up Yuan Yuan as soon as he got home. Xiao Heng felt a pang of sadness and a bit of discomfort.

*

In mid-June, Jiang Rong received a message from the Peace Base that Liu Heng would be visiting the Spark Base on behalf of the Peace Base. This was the first time since the Spark Base was built that it had received ability users from another base, and the visitors were high-ranking officials from a sister base. Jiang Rong and his friends attached great importance to this visit.

Jiang Rong was waiting at the service area early in the morning. At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the convoy from the Peace Base appeared before her.

As soon as they got out of the car, Liu Heng quickly stepped forward and shook Jiang Rong's hand: "President Jiang, I've really been amazed by what I've seen along the way. I never imagined the Xinghuo Base would be so well-constructed!" Upon entering the Xinghuo Base area, everything was lush and green. On the flat land, acres of farmland were planted with crops.

June is the season for transplanting rice seedlings at the Xinghuo Base. Rows of emerald green seedlings are planted neatly in the paddy fields, and their unique fragrance can be smelled from a distance.

Some of the seedlings planted this time were from seeds of mutated rice that Jiang Rong transplanted from the Jiangbei Plain last year. The mutated rice had a low yield during its second growth, so not a single seed was wasted; they were all cultivated into seedlings and planted.

Although the rice seedlings were transplanted less than half a month ago, the advantages of the mutant rice are already evident. It is believed that the Xinghuo base will have another bumper harvest this autumn.

Jiang Rong warmly led Liu Heng onto the sightseeing bus at Xinghuo Base, saying, "Mr. Liu, once you're at Xinghuo Base, you're at home. Don't be shy."

Liu Heng didn't come alone; he brought several trusted assistants. Chu Qiang looked around, somewhat puzzled, "Mr. Liu, where's Captain Zhou? Is he out on a mission?"

Liu Heng smiled and said, "Yes, Zhou Xing went to the Jiangbei Oilfield. He will come directly to the Xinghuo Base after the mission is completed."

After walking around the Xinghuo Base, Liu Heng's smile became even brighter: "No wonder President Jiang sends vegetables and fruits to our base every month. Xinghuo Base is truly a blessed place; it has everything." After a pause, he said with some regret, "Seeing the construction of Xinghuo Base, I feel that our Heping Base has gone in the wrong direction from the very beginning."

If Peace Base had focused on developing agriculture from the beginning, like Spark Base, instead of building underground cities, it might have become a base overflowing with fruits and vegetables.

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "President Liu, you're too kind. The Peace Base supports more than a million people, while we at Xinghuo don't have that kind of strength."

Liu Heng waved his hand: "President Jiang is too modest. With the Bloodthirsty Vine in hand, the Spark Base will become one of the top bases sooner or later." Not every base can replicate the Spark Base model. The success of the Spark Base is inextricably linked to Jiang Rong.

To give a simple example, every time a piece of land is reclaimed at the Spark Base, Little Darling is there to protect everyone. As long as Little Darling is there, the superhumans at the Spark Base can have the energy to do other things, and the safety of the people is more guaranteed.

Peace Base doesn't have these conditions. If they wanted to cultivate the land, they would need to invest several times more manpower and resources than Spark Base. The harvest after cultivation would be far less than their investment, making it a losing proposition that no one wants to do.

Jiang Rong didn't keep anything secret; he believed Liu Heng already knew what the Spark Base was like. Rather than hiding it, it was better to show it openly.

After walking around the Spark Base for a while, Liu Heng's eyes were shining. He remembered that when Jiang Rong and the others first went to the Peace Base, they were impressed by its signal and power plant. After walking around, Liu Heng was not only amazed by the fertile farmland of the Spark Base, but also surprised by its water resources.

Perhaps because of the abundant vegetation at Xinghuo Base, which helps absorb impurities and purify the water, the water flowing in the ditches at Xinghuo Base is much clearer than elsewhere. Even the purified water from Heping Base cannot reach the cleanliness level of Xinghuo Base's open-air water sources.

Liu Heng squatted by the ditch, cupped his hands to scoop up the clear water, and drank it down in large gulps. He drank several handfuls in a row, then gave a thumbs-up with satisfaction: "Sweet! I haven't drunk such good water in a long time. President Jiang, you really know how to do things. With such fertile land and high-quality water, how could Xinghuo's development not be good!"

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "The Peace Base can do better than us. If President Liu needs anything, we can share resources and strive for the joint development of the two bases."

This thought had been echoing in Jiang Rong's mind for more than a day or two. If only the people at Xinghuo Base could have enough to eat and wear, while the people at other bases were living in dire straits, it wouldn't be long before Xinghuo became a target for the other bases.

Human jealousy and greed are endless. We are all refugees, so why are you living better than us? Once this thought takes hold, the Spark Base will be coveted by countless eyes.

Jiang Rong didn't want the fruits of everyone's hard work in creating the base to be reaped by others, nor did she want it to be destroyed. If a peaceful base could help share the burden, that would be ideal.

Jiang Rong looked at Liu Heng seriously, "Our base can provide seeds and technology. If Mr. Liu needs it, I can also have Xiao Guaiguai help the Peace Base to cultivate farmland. What do you think?"

Liu Heng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "President Jiang is willing to part with it?"

Jiang Rong nodded solemnly: "What's there to be reluctant about?" Being able to develop together with the Peace Base is a good thing for both bases.

Liu Heng pondered for a moment: "This matter..."

Just then, Jiang Rong's phone rang. He didn't want to answer it at first, but when he saw that the caller ID showed Xiao Hao, he knew he had to. His three children were all very considerate and usually wouldn't bother him while he was working. For Jiang Hao to call him at this hour, something must have happened at home.

Jiang Rong nodded to Liu Heng: "Excuse me, Mr. Liu, I need to take this call."

After the call connected, Jiang Hao's anxious voice came through: "Dad, Xiao Heng and Yuan Yuan have fallen into the river! Come back quickly!"

Jiang Rong was startled: "Don't panic, I'll be right back."

Author's Note:

After recovering from Yang Kang, Lao Mao felt extremely weak and tired.

I was also prone to making silly mistakes and feeling dizzy. I was in a daze all day and couldn't concentrate. I even wondered if I was going crazy.

It's been so tough, really so tough. Thankfully, this book is almost finished~ The main story should be completed soon.

Everyone can start pre-ordering the bonus chapters now!